Punta Arena • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (November - March)

The North Pacific winter machine starts to spin up in November and the coast sees a serious increase in the frequency of clean offshore wind. Punta Arena's east-northeast exposure gets the most out of the NNW and NW groundswell that rolls through this period, especially when the swell angle straightens out toward the preferred NE, ENE, E and ESE directions. Average wave heights remain modest, generally 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m), but the combination of 10-13s periods and 41-50% ideal wind windows means the surface stays glassier and more organized than at any other time of year.

Fair Surf Season (April, September - October)

These transition months are a mixed bag. April brings the longest periods of the year, averaging 13.8s, with dry and pleasant weather, but the swell is dominated by southerly directions, which are largely shadowed at Punta Arena. September and October are wild cards: tropical storm and hurricane activity in the eastern Pacific can send useful ESE and SE swell toward the coast, while offshore wind frequencies climb back above 40%. When the tropics cooperate, occasional 3-5ft (1-1.5m) surf can light up the beach.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

The summer pattern is the most challenging for this part of Mexico. Southern Hemisphere groundswell floods the region with long-period energy, but the S and SSE directions are almost completely off-axis for an ENE-facing beach, leaving Punta Arena small, soft, and inconsistent. May and June see the lowest ideal-wind percentages of the year, with easterly trade winds adding bump and making the lineup feel messy. August can offer a coastal reprieve when tropical cyclones align, but the overall picture is one of grovelly, marginal, wind-swell-influenced conditions.